From:  Shahnaz
Date:  Thu, 8 Apr 2010
Subject:  Claiming my dad for year 2009 after his passing in Jan 2009?

I have been claiming my father as a dependent for several years. He passed away during January 2009. Can I still claim him on my 2009 income tax return?

Regards,
Shahnaz

Answer

Date:  5 May 2010

Hello Shahnaz,

Probably. You get to claim dependent exemptions for the year of death and the year of birth, even though the individual only was a dependent for part of the year. See IRS Publication 501 at www.irs.gov.

Good luck!

Mike Gray

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